The Word of Godbey

My writing journey began almost before my reading journey. As early as first grade. Walking the halls of Clendenin Elementary—which was once, if memory serves (and if memory can be trusted to reach that far back), Big Sandy High School—I was already scribbling stories and sketching crude little comics inspired by the sci-fi programs I loved. Then, somewhere around second grade, I discovered media tie-in novels. They were meant for readers a bit older than I was at the time, but the librarian let me check them out anyway. That was all the permission I needed. That love of stories—both reading them and trying to tell my own—followed me into adulthood. I always fancied myself a writer of science fiction and fantasy. In reality, I was someone very good at starting things… and far less consistent at finishing them. Then single fatherhood happened, and even starting became a luxury. Fast forward a few decades—yes, a few—and in 2025, I had what I can only call an epiphany. Years too late, may...

To be honest, that title might be a bit of a misnomer. The journey started in the spring of 2025 as a whisper in the middle of the night—the kind of idea that sneaks in while you’re hovering between sleep and wakefulness. That whisper grew into a single word: compAnIon From there, and a few notebooks later, I was scribbling character names, sketching places, and building my vision of a West Virginia that felt both recognizable and fictional. And before I realized it, I was writing again—for the first time in nearly twenty years. The late nights and early mornings that followed eventually produced a completed draft. Then came my invaluable beta readers—Kelly H., Lorien M., and others who prefer to remain more private—whose feedback guided multiple revisions until the manuscript was as polished as a mostly one-person effort could make it. My debut novel, Beyond That Starry Sky, was born. As of now, the release is still on schedule for May 2026, so keep checking in here for updates and be...